I woke up groggy eyed and confused from the night before. I pushed myself to get up, looking at the clock with dread. “Shit.” It’s 10 minutes past when I was supposed to work, I’ll get over it but the reprimanding from my boss will be a pain in the ass. I quickly log into the morning meeting and apologize for “internet issues.” I sit quietly through the forty-five-minute meeting without notice. Afterwards I get up and wash my face, makeup still caked on from the night before. The instant regret of drinking and weed fills me. Whoever made parties on Sundays should be slapped. Everyone knows Mondays are the worst day for a hangover, unless you’re unemployed or a trust fund. I pass my roommate Andy who is smirking from the couch. “Good morning princess” he says. I roll my eyes and ask what happened last night. Andy sips his coffee, “you went hard last night,” no shit sherlock I think to myself. “You met this guy and just kind of went loose” I nod, not remembering this guy or what Andy meant.

After work I decide a gym session was probably in my best interest. I grab my keys and pull my hair into a ponytail. Andy rushes towards me and begs me to take him too. I don’t mind the company so I agree and wait the 20 minutes it takes him to change and stop browsing Bumble. “Let’s go bitch” I say loudly as he rushes down the stairs. “Well, excuuuuuse me princess.” he snarks. Andy is known for being a cynical, nerd, asshole and teddy bear all in one. We’ve been friends for the last twelve years or so, you could say we’re close. I hop on the elliptical and start running as fast as I can, headphones blaring music and just taking my frustrations out on the workout. Afterwards on the ride home Andy looks at me and says “you okay bud?” I don’t know how to answer the question so I just shrug my shoulders and turn up the music.

Later that night I'm freshly showered and in bed. My phone starts ringing. Weird I thought to myself no one ever calls me, unless it’s some kind of emergency. “Hello?” I answer. “Hey Caitlin it’s Ethan from last night, just figured I'd call since you asked me to.” I draw a blank, I don’t know who this is. Wrong number maybe? There can be a million Caitlin’s in this world. I swallow “oh hey!” I fake enthusiasm. “I had a really good time last night and was wondering if you’d like to see a movie or something this weekend?” he says. I think about this for a split second, what if he’s not my type or worse a serial killer. “Uh sure thing, what day works for you?” I say. After a few back-and-forth tentative dates, we decide on Saturday. I say goodbye and hang up. I still have zero idea who Ethan is or how we know each other, but can’t be any of the worst decisions I've made.

Saturday rolls around and I just feel the dread of meeting Ethan. We’ve been texting since and he seems nice and I finally have a face to the mystery. It's not that I am not excited because I am but I just don’t know how to act around new people. I'm what we call “socially inept.” Well not really but kind of. Andy helps me pick out my outfit and makeup. “Shit it’s 7:30” Ethan will be here any minute. I panic throw my shoes on and finish brushing my teeth. I hear a knock and I can hear Andy say “Ethan! She’ll be right down.” I spit the toothpaste out and fix my hair. This is it, date time.

So, it turns out Ethan isn’t too bad, he’s cute, into the same music as me and has almost the entire recollection of the night we met. So, it’s nice to get some info. “Yeah, you may have puked on me but it’s okay” he laughs. Embarrassing I cannot believe I puked on this poor man. He looks not mad which I am not used to, usually my exes would scream or resent me for something like that. He made it a joke though. His eyes were transfixed on me the whole time, as if every word I said was the most important thing in the world. After dinner we decide to skip the movie since we want to talk anyway. “So, miss Caitlin, I've spent all night leading this conversation, I want to hear your thoughts and feelings.” I was taken aback. I don’t think anyone has ever asked me this. Usually dates just want sex and to get to know me – but my vagina. I swallowed from anxiety. “uhm I like cats?” Go Caitlin, good job. He laughs. We spend the rest of the night walking around the Boston cityscapes and talking. Ethan finally around four am said “would you maybe want to come back to my place? We’re close by and I'd hate for you to Uber this late, nothing sketchy I promise.” I thought about it and nodded.

Ethan led me to his apartment; it was a luxury place. I was in awe because I had nothing on this apartment compared to this one. He came out with sweatpants and a baggy shirt. “I got you some pajamas and make yourself at home.” I went into the bathroom to change. His clothes felt comfy against my thin body. “So where am I sleeping?” Ethan brought me to a guest bedroom. “You can sleep here, the couch or my bed, whatever makes you more comfortable.” he says. I choose the guest bedroom, less awkward and no obligation to have sex. I am no prude but I don’t want to seem easy, especially on someone I puked on. I went to sleep pretty fast as the memory foam sucked me in.

“Caitlin?” I heard a voice and opened one eye. I see Ethan standing over me with a tray of a breakfast spread. This guy I swear is just trying to woo me. I pushed myself up and grabbed the tray. It was the whole nine yards. Everything you could imagine for breakfast. I said thank you and gave him a hug. He sat on the edge of the bed.